{{short description|1980 single by Adam and the Ants}} {{Use British English|date=January 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}} {{Infobox song |name = Antmusic |cover = Antmusic.jpg |alt = |type = single |artist = Adam and the Ants |album = Kings of the Wild Frontier |B-side = Fall In |released = 28 November 1980 |recorded = |studio = |venue = |genre = *New wave<ref name="Segretto 2022">{{cite book|title=33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999|first=Mike|last=Segretto|date=2022|chapter= 1980|page= 375|publisher=Backbeat|isbn=9781493064601|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtNtEAAAQBAJ}}</ref> *pop<ref name= "RS 2001">{{cite book |chapter= Adam and the Ants/Adam Ant|title=The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|year=2001 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=3rd |editor1-last=George-Warren|editor1-first=Holly|editor2-last=Romanowski |editor2-first=Patricia |editor3-last= Pareles|editor3-first=John|isbn=0-7432-0120-5|page= 5|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9lYYAAAAIAAJ}}</ref> |length = 3:37 |label = {{hlist|Epic (UK)|CBS (Australia)}} |writer = {{hlist|Adam Ant|Marco Pirroni}} |producer = Chris Hughes |prev_title = Dog Eat Dog |prev_year = 1980 |next_title = Stand and Deliver |next_year = 1981 |misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|Rm9drIwmmU4|'Antmusic'}}}} }} "'''Antmusic'''" (often stylised as 'Antmusic') is a song written by Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni, and performed by Adam and the Ants on their second album, ''Kings of the Wild Frontier''. The name of the song is also a broad term Adam Ant uses to describe his music, both with Adam and the Ants<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUQcAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA48&dq&article_id=6887,5452773&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiajO6Lrp2UAxVUMNAFHZYAMW8Q6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false|last=Bishop |first=Pete| date=March 29, 1981| title=A Taylor-Made Album| newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press| page=E7}}</ref> and solo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_DhTAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA28&dq&article_id=7177,4496932&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjsucqFtZ2UAxUX4skDHcOtPfcQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false|last=Moreton |first=Judy| date=December 15, 1982| title=Antmusic's Evolved a Mite More| newspaper=Deseret News}}</ref>
The first use for the term 'Antmusic' was the "Antmusic for sex people" logo, which first appeared on the cover of the Adam and the Ants' single, "Dog Eat Dog".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adam-ant.net/dog.html|author=Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni|date=3 October 1980|title=Dog Eat Dog|website=The Official Adam Ant Website|publisher=EMI Music Publishing Ltd.}}</ref> The line "Antmusic for sex people, Sex music for Antpeople" is sung in the track "Don't be Square (Be There)",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Adam-and-the-ants-dont-be-square-be-there-lyrics|author=Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni|date=3 November 1980|title=Don't be Square (Be There)|publisher=EMI Music Publishing Ltd.|website=Genius}}</ref> which also appears on ''Kings of the Wild Frontier''. ''Antmusic'' is also the name of a 1994 compilation album.
==Single== On 28 November 1980, "Antmusic" was released as the third single in the UK from ''Kings of the Wild Frontier''.<ref name=RS>{{cite magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone|title=Adam Ant and the Ants|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/adam-ant-and-the-ants|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111102352/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/adam-ant-and-the-ants|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 November 2010}}</ref> It peaked at No. 2 in the UK in January 1981, being held off the top by the re-release of John Lennon's "Imagine" after his murder in New York City on 8 December 1980. In Australia, the single spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report<ref>{{cite web|url=https://alldownunder.com/australian-music-songs/hit-singles-australian-music-songs/1980s-songs.htm|author=John|date=February 2, 2023|title=Number One Singles in the 1980s – Australian Music|website=All Down Under}}</ref> and earned the band platinum certification<ref name="aus">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=Illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> for sales of over 100,000 copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/accreditations|title=Accreditations|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association}}</ref> It also reached No. 2 in South Africa, No. 4 in Ireland, and No. 6 in New Zealand. The song was the only commercial single released from the album in North America, and it reached No. 14 on the US Rock Albums & Top Tracks chart, as well as number 19 on the National Disco Action Top 30 chart (alongside "Dog Eat Dog" and "Kings of the Wild Frontier").
==Music video== "Antmusic" was the first music video directed by Steve Barron.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-11499628|last=Allen|first=Liam|date=29 November 2010|title=Adam Ant to Michael Jackson: Shaping the MTV Landscape|publisher=BBC}}</ref> It features the group invading a discothèque with a giant juke box that different members of the band are shown unplugging to go along with the line, "Unplug the jukebox and do us all a favor." The patrons of the disco stand transfixed, as the band persuades the young audience to turn away from disco music and dance to the new-styled Antmusic. Eventually, they win over their audience, who one by one begin dancing to the song.
Amanda Donohoe, who was Adam Ant's girlfriend at the time, makes her acting debut in the music video.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10793112/|title=Adam and the Ants: Antmusic|website=IMDb|date=1980}}</ref>
==''Royal Variety Performance''== On 18 April 1981, Adam and the Ants performed a medley of "Antmusic" & "Dog Eat Dog" at the ''Royal Variety Performance''. It was during "Antmusic" that Kevin Mooney had a very public meltdown that led to his leaving the band. As the band lip synced & mimed through the performance, Mooney took off his bass, placing it on the floor, making it obvious that he wasn't actually playing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.3ammagazine.com/musicarchives/2004/sep/interview_kevin_mooney.html|last=Cabut|first=Richard|date=2004|title=The World's Forgotten Boy|magazine=3:AM Magazine}}</ref>
=="Fall In"== It was common for Ant to record new versions of his pre-1980 compositions for the B-side of his singles. For this single, a song dating back to the pre-Ants band the B-Sides in 1976 called "Fall In" was used. The song was co-written by Ant and Lester Square and originally titled "Fall Out"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sonichits.com/video/Adam_and_the_Ants/fall_out|title=Fall Out Adam and the Ants Lyrics|website=SonicHits}}</ref> until the Police released a song by that same name in May 1977. A recording has surfaced of the song being performed by the Ants at a private preview show in a Muswell Hill bedroom on 5 May 1977.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7PjXtymxHw The Ants - Fallout - Muswell Hill Bedroom 5 May 1977]</ref> Following Square's departure, Ant added new lyrics referencing the band's regular rehearsal space at the Screen on the Green cinema in Islington. The resulting version was first recorded as a home demo in Putney in July 1977, and a full band demo was recorded at Decca Studios in August 1978.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
The version on the Antmusic B-side was recorded in 1980 during sessions for the ''Kings'' album at Rockfield Studios. The song has been a frequent feature of Ant's live setlists both with the Ants and solo from 1977 to the present day. Live versions have been released on the 1994 live album ''Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant: Disc Two'' and in excerpt form on the 2014 documentary ''The Blueblack Hussar'' directed by Jack Bond. The 1978 Decca Studios version appears in full as closing credit music on the 2015 DVD live video album ''Dirk Live at the Apollo''.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
Square's later band the Monochrome Set also continued to perform a version of the song, with new lyrics, under the title "Fallout". The song appeared as a B-side to the 1979 single "He's Frank (Slight Return)" as well as a 1979 Peel Session. Another joint Ant/Square composition titled "Fat Fun", which had similar shared ownership between the two bands (albeit again with differing lyrics), was recorded by the Ants at Rockfield Studios but not released until 2000 on the ''Antbox'' box set.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/844281-Adam-And-The-Ants-Antbox|author=Adam Ant|date=4 December 2000|title=Antbox|publisher=Columbia Records}}</ref>
==Charts and certifications== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" !scope="col"|Chart (1981) !scope="col"|Peak<br>position |- !scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus"/> |align="center"|1 |- {{singlechart|Flanders|30|artist=Adam and the Ants|song=Antmusic|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018}} |- {{singlechart|Ireland2|4|song=Ant Music|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018}} |- {{singlechart|Dutch100|41|artist=Adam and the Ants|song=Antmusic|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018}} |- {{singlechart|New Zealand|6|artist=Adam and the Ants|song=Antmusic|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018}} |- !scope="row"|South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rock.co.za/files/sa_charts_1969_1989_songs_(A-B).html|title=SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs A-B|website=South African Rock Lists|access-date=8 June 2018}}</ref> |align="center"|2 |- {{singlechart|Sweden|11|artist=Adam and the Ants|song=Antmusic|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018}} |- {{singlechart|UK|2|date=19810117|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018}} |- {{singlechart|Billboarddanceclubplay|19|artist=Adam and the Ants|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018|note="Dog Eat Dog"/"Antmusic"/"Kings of the Wild Frontier"}} |- {{singlechart|Billboardmainstreamrock|14|artist=Adam and the Ants|rowheader=true|accessdate=8 June 2018}} |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" !scope="col"|Chart (1981) !scope="col"|Position |- !scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus"/><ref name="aus81">{{cite web|title= National Top 100 Singles for 1981 |publisher= Kent Music Report |issue= 393 |page= 7 |via= Imgur |date= 4 January 1982 |access-date=January 11, 2022 |url= https://i.imgur.com/RgsDOOc.jpg}}</ref> |align="center"|3 |- !scope="row"|New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1981-12-31|title=End Of Year Charts 1981|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|access-date=8 June 2018}}</ref> |align="center"|27 |- !scope="row"|South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rock.co.za/files/sahits_1981.html|title=Top 20 Hit Singles of 1981|website=South African Rock Lists|access-date=8 June 2018}}</ref> |align="center"|20 |- !scope="row"|UK Singles (Official Charts Company)<ref>{{cite book|editor-first=Peter|editor-last=Scaping|title=BPI Year Book 1982|chapter=The Top 200 Singles: January–December 1981|publisher=The British Phonographic Industry Ltd|location=London, England|pages=46–49|edition=5th|date=1982|isbn=0-906154-03-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Alan|last1=Jones|first2=Barry|last2=Lazell|first3=Dafydd|last3=Rees|chapter=The Top 200 Singles (UK)|title=Chart File 1982|publisher=Virgin Books|location=London, England|pages=74–77|date=1982|isbn=0-907080-49-9}}</ref> |align="center"|30 |}
===Certifications=== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|title=Antmusic|artist=Adam and the Ants|type=single|relyear=1981|region=Australia|award=Platinum|certref=<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT61 |title=Billboard Vol. 94, No. 23: Majors Flight Economics with Quirky Rock Originals|magazine=Billboard|page=A-NZ 8|date=6 December 1982|access-date=10 November 2021}}</ref>}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Ant Music|artist=Adam and the Ants|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1980|certyear=1981|accessdate=8 June 2018|id=541-181-1}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}} {{col-end}}
==Covers and interpolations== *Robbie Williams recorded a cover version and released it as a double A-side with "No Regrets" in November 1998,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=28|date=28 November 1998}}</ref> which was used in ''A Bug's Life''.
*Hypnolovewheel recorded a cover of the song that was included on the compilation album ''Freedom of Choice: Yesterday's New Wave Hits as Performed by Today's Stars''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/antmusic-mt0001223639 |title=Antmusic - Hypnolovewheel |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Allmusic|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref>
*Australian band Rogue Traders sang the 'Antmusic' line "so unplug the jukebox and do us all a favour" in their 2010 song Would You Raise Your Hands?.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Discogs master|63455}} *{{YouTube|srRupw0ZumU|Adam & The Ants - Children's Royal Variety Performance 1981 (#1) - 'Antmusic'~'Dog Eat Dog'}} *{{YouTube|p9S-cLCBqdY|A Bug's Life Antmusic Trailer}}
{{Adam Ant}}
{{authority control}}
Category:1980 songs Category:1980 singles Category:1981 singles Category:Adam and the Ants songs Category:Music videos directed by Steve Barron Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:Songs written by Marco Pirroni Category:Songs written by Adam Ant Category:Epic Records singles Category:CBS Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Hughes (record producer)